|
Well, after some intense discussions,
bottlethrowing and knife-cutting we decided to keep the good
old rating system as it is!
The Accidents - All Time High CD (Bootleg Booze Records)
"All Time High" is my pick of best drinking record
in this issue! The press release states; "Instead of
milk in the babies bottles they got whiskey, instead of sugar
on their cereal they got cocaine, instead of lullabys they
got Elvis" and labels their sound as 'Hillbilly Punkrock'n'roll'.
Although the Swedes list Hank Williams (they cover "Pan
America") as an inspiration, I'd call their highly infectious
sound for 'good time drinking rock'n'roll singalong punkrock',
think The Devil Dogs with more a snotty '77 punk style like
The Adicts and you're halfway there. I'm very impressed with
the power drumming of Rick Rebel Jennings who's pounding like
there's no tomorrow on through the 12 catchy tracks, total
bliss! The Accidents features members of Voice Of A Generation.
Buy or pick up my beer tab!
http://www.bootlegbooze.com http://www.theaccidents.net
Jens
And The Lefthanded - In the Kingdom of the Shadows CD
(Lefta)
At last a new album from these fine young lads. Larry Guitar
left the band so
now they're called And the Lefthanded.of course. The fact
that there is no
guitarist just makes this album a fairly natural progression
from the very
keyboard dominated last Larry record "Quantum Rider".
Both Vilunki and Timo plays guitar on some of the songs, but
mostly it's groovy late 60s/early 70s psyche pop rhythms topped
with weird sounds and simple, catchy organ riffs. Sometimes
the bass lines are played on keyboard and washes of soft guitar
riffs lurking in the shadows. It's very much has the feeling
of those giallo and sleaze film soundtracks from Italy. People
like Piccioni, Umiliani and Morricone has a big place in these
guys heart I'm sure. However this is not just a rip off of
that kind of music, but probably some of the most original
and dark pop music I've heard. Super cool! This will take
any cocktail party to new heights I'm sure! Try it!
SN
Bona Roba - Cunningham Park 7" (Sonico Records)
Pretty cool rock from Queens in NYC. Bona Roba have not discovered
rock'n'roll all over again but less can do it in this case.
They got some of the swagger of the Stones and a bit of the
Heartbreakers as well. Could remind of Sewergrooves at times
since Bona Roba also have a good sense of melody like our
Swedish friends. Not bad at all. http://www.bonaroba.net
http://www.sonico.de
Don K
The Carburators - Pain is Temporary - Glory is Forever
(Facefront Records)
This records starts with some serious motor-cycle noise, which
sort of sets the scene for some Scandinavian action rock.
But what hits the listener is more like some sort of cliché-driven,
fast, boogie-based rock'n'roll. Add to this a shitload of
fast guitar solos like most 80's hair-metal bands used as
their raison d'etre. Unfortunately good musicianship doesn't
make it all, and songs that get beyond the wannabe-tough hoarse
singing and the typical boogie-cliché scheme are really
needed if these guys wanna take things to the next level on
a future release. http://www.thecarburetors.com
http://www.facefront.no
Screamin' Eric
The Cave 4 - Sheena Was Right CD (Swindlebra Records)
I'd imagine these Germans are huge fans of Man Or Astroman?'s
brand of surf rock with their mix of instrumentals and song
with vocals. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just not that crazy
with that style anymore (even though Dick Dale really surprised
me with his last gig here). I really dig powerpop tunes like
"Boy Don't Tell Me", "Sheena Was Right"
and "Gotta Get Myself Together" but the instro stuff
kinda bored me, I mean, who the hell needs a vocal-less version
of Yardbird's "Shapes Of Things To Come"? The Cave
4 are a hot rockin' swanky combo so skip the instrumentals
and concentrate on powerpop would be my advice. Swindlebra
Records? Haha, definitely the best label name in this issue.
http://www.cave4.de
http://www.swindlebra.de
Jens
Colorhaze - Periscope CD (Elektrohasch)
This is the latest release by Colour Haze and features mostly
studio outtakes from Oct 1999. It is released on vinyl only
in 1000 numbered copies on high quality 180 gram vinyl. The
LP begins with Always Me. A Slow building track in which the
groove just intensifies as Stefan's vocals get more intense
and the guitar solo rips you in half! Antenna is next and
builds upon the excellent bass line of Phillip and Mani and
Stefan slowly build up on top of this before the guitar riff
takes over. Again, Colour Haze music is best when heard Stoned!
Pulse (rerecorded in 2001) closes the side and is one of the
most powerful Colour Haze numbers. Side B begins with Sun,
not to be confused with Sundazed. I really like the way the
guitar riff and the bass line weave together and back and
forth on this number. Great moods are created on this number.
Periscope and Periscope (Breit Return) close the LP and are
masterful, powerful pieces of music with some ripping lead
guitar. Another Colour Haze classic! Come out and see the
band in Copenhagen on May 14th (Stengade 30) and the 15th
(Dragens Hule). www.colourhaze.de
www.elektrohasch.de
Scott
Cro(w)s - Durty Bunny LP (Sounds of Subterrania)
Chris Wollard from Hot Water Music fronts this four-piece
with his raw voice
and cool lyrics. He sounds like the perfect combination of
Rollins and Ian
MacKaye and the Cro(w)s - originally called the Sheryl Cro(w)mags
kicks some
of the same serious ass as some of those early Dischord bands.
Like a harder version of Embrace with hints of Gray Matter
and maybe even Nation of Ulysses, though not quite as quirky
as the later. This is super cool 80s style hardcore punk rock
and even some of the cooler Twaang! bands like Moving Targets
pops into my head. This is what punk should be but hardly
ever is. Strong songs, strong lyrics and strong attitude.
The sound is cool and they play this kinda stuff just perfect.
I have heard very little Hot Water Music and I'm sure that's
a mistake. This is good shit. Wow!
www.sounsdofsubterrania.com
SN
Daytona Motel - Demo 2004
Daytona Motel is a new Danish band. The band is a power trio.
This 4 track demo was produced in the fall of 2003. The opening
track, Shaker Auto, has a good groove and a cool melodic hook
as well. Chicago Blues Man is next and strong foot stomping
groove. Why do so many of these bands have no guitar solos????
300 Miles is another excellent song with a great foot stomping
groove. The Next Day ends the 4 song demo. A damn good demo!
I really look forward to catching the band live in Copenhagen
soon! daytonamotel@hotmail.com
Scott
Dead Kennedys - Live at the Deaf Club CD (Decay Music)
Historical documents rarely hold much interest beyond the
mere historical one, and a 1980 live recording of Dead Kennedys
must necessarily fall under that category, as well as a means
to pay the lawyers in the ongoing trials over the legacy of
this fantastic band. However, being the Dead Kennedys, this
is quite cool, and listening to this on my discman while riding
through the city served to remind me that a) listening to
hardcore while riding a bicycle is fairly hazardous, and b)
that guy Ted who originally drummed for Dead Kennedys and
also on this recording was one hell of a funky drummer, all
syncopated jazz rhythms and funny fills. Even if he does slow
a few of the songs down compared to the later recorded versions.
For any one who can't stand the sound of Jello's whiny little
voice, this album is a must - as it should bloody well teach
them to appreciate it! Good sound, nice run of songs - "Kill
the Poor", "California Über Alles", "Holiday
in Cambodia", plus one previously unreleased track, "Gaslight".
Not a must for hardcore appreciaters, but a nice thing should
you chance upon it. http://www.plastichead.com
Jon A
The Deadbeats - "Come Clean" 7" (Bootleg
Booze Records)
There's always that thing with 7"s, is it 45 rpm, is
it 33, and there's always that disappointment once the vocals
come in and you have to admit that OK, it's 33 rpm, it's midtempo,
and it's not half as fresh as you had thought at first (well,
actually it's a little over two thirds, but the disappointment
is the same). And thus The Deabeats come trundling in a regretably
bland take on Hellacopters-inspired melodic r'n'r with lots
of semi-catchy hooks and would-be singalong choruses that
just never quite lift them above mediocre. Not really annoying
or extremely bad, not at all, just right off the mark, sadly.
http://www.bootlegbooze.com
Jon A
The Devastations - s/t CD (Munster)
I was listening to this record at midnight getting slowly
drunk by myself and The Devastations really got to me. This
Australian band gets compared to Nick Cave and Tindersticks
so usually it would not be something for me. So maybe this
review is a tad coloured from the above state of mind but
nonetheless The Devastations got a cinematic quality to them
and a dark, melancholic vibe that I really like. Wish I had
this record in my teens - would probably have wet a lot of
panties and got me laid a whole lot more.
Don K
Disgrace - Born Tired CD (Gashopper)
Whoa, talk about a step up the ladder!! The earlier releases
by Disgrace out of Finland have been a mixed bag in the sense
that the quality has varied a lot from release to release
and you got the impression that they didn't really knew what
direction to go. Well, this time they got it all right and
Born Tired is certainly the best record I have heard from
them so far. Disgrace play hard driving rock'n'roll and even
though it can be hard to imagine they sound like a stoner
rock version of The Flaming Sideburns. The songs are short
and to the point and the sound is great…..thumbs up!
Don K
Fort T - Renegade Rock MCD
These Danes (of Brønderslev) seems to be inspired by
the likes of AC/DC, but unfortunately they've got some looong
boring intros before they get to the 1st verse in their songs.
Let Iron Maiden deal with that, haha. The self-financed "Renegade
Rock" has 5 bluesy hardrock tunes which show a lotta
promise but the production could've used a way more gritty
and dirty approach to the material. It's basically too slick
and clean to make me wanna put on my dancin' shoes. I'm looking
forward to hear more, cuz the fellas are really talented musicians,
and I'm more than convinced they can do better.
http://www.fordt.dk
Jens
Ghetto Ways - s/t CD (Alien Snatch!)
Garage trash out of Brooklyn, New York City. Ghetto Ways got
a cool vibe going and consists of two guys and a girl getting
down and dirty along the lines of The Dirtbombs and The Little
Killers only more lo-fi and sleazy. This is the sound of the
NYC gutter and even though they don't sound much like early
The Blues Explosion or Pussy Galore the cool attitude is the
same. Quite a scoop for the brilliantly named German label
Alien Snatch! Records. http://www.aliensnatch.de
Don K
The great Escape - Escape from Reality 2LP (Nasoni)
The Great Escape is a new German Psychedelic rock band that
really likes to jam and spread things out. This double vinyl
release was recorded in late 2003 (except one track) and has
long grooving tracks like Colour Haze. The 1st side (Escape
Side) opens with King of the Race. It has a heavy Sabbath
like Riff that except in the mid section with a long guitar
interlude. The title tack is next and begins as a slow spaced
groove until the final minutes when it takes off into heavy
psychedelic rock only to return to the space groove. Side
2 (Reality Side) begins with Sweet Smelling Summer, a slow
grooving biker tune with some stoned laid back vocals. Where
Ever You Are speed things up and is a great rocking number
with power vocals, like Jesper from Gas Giant and a great
wah solo. Cosmic Rider ends the side and uses some samples
from NASA about a spaceflight take off. This song is based
on a heavy bass line and spaced delay guitars and vocals and
then back into the heavy riffing before the jam. Cool. The
3rd side (Ride Side) starts with Strange Pictures (recorded
in 2002) and is very different from all the rest of the songs.
It has a very laid back groove and a long guitar solo and
some cool phased parts. Ride on is another slow, slightly
funky spaced out song that takes off and comes back down gently.
If Time, closes side 3 and has a real 70s style sound and
features some cool psychedelic guitar playing. The 4th side
has two long jam songs. Experience is a Colour Haze like groove
rocker with a spaced out mid section. Goodbye closes the record
and starts as a slow floating psych rock song with some really
colourful guitars. A beautiful song. Take a more jamming stoned
version of Spiritual Beggars mixed in with the grooves and
long songs of Colour Haze and you can get an idea of what
this is like. Great stuff….but be patient and listen
and you will be rewarded! www.thegreatescape.de
www.nasoni-records.com
Scott
Handgun Bravado - "These Days Move Fast" CD (Firefly/Target
Distribution)
Sensible punk rock - you know, the kind of people who know
sooo much about life and want to teach you all how to move
on out of the slum, because in spite of how smart and mature
they want to appear, they apparently surround themselves with
junkies and dropouts and their audience supposedly consists
of the same types. Oh yeah, it's easy to knock it, but nonetheless
it can be an uplifting, moral-strengthening experience. Handgun
Bravado though, in spite of a cool name, falls on the slightly
irritating side of the road thanks to the vocals that at once
manage to come off as both strained and sloppy. The music
itself is a bit more uplifting, hard, fast, and melodic with
lots of hooks, but lacking some of the moxie or attitude that
makes punk rock in my opinion, all a tad too mature. http://www.plastichead.com
Jon A
Kaito - "Band Red" CD (Blast First/Mute/Virgin
Denmark)
As much as my lovely wife is willing to accept from me - Helmet,
Misfits, Johnny Cash, N.W.A. - this is the kind of record
that would create an immediate, bad vibe in our happy little
household should I be insensitive enough to put it on with
her home. Kaito from Norwich and Brighton, supposedly the
joint assholes of the world, play the kind of atonal artrock
with nerve-wrecking squealy vocals equally capable of driving
people up the wall and making them dress in black and read
difficult books. After once being the only one in an office
to actually like Blonde Redhead, I have an idea why I was
the one appointed to review this album, and you know, as much
as this music can suck, like The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it can rule,
like the aforementioned Blonde Redhead, whom Kaito sound not
quite unlike in their earliest days, if a lot edgier and,
well, more European. Very cultured, extremely mannered, sickeningly
clever, and somewhat neurotic, but at the same time quite
earnest and one of the most intense records of the year so
far. http://www.kaito.co.uk
http://www.mute.com
Jon A
Roy Loney & The Longshots - Drunkard In The Think
Tank CD (Career Records)
Mr. Loney was the main songwriter and singer for cult-rockers
Flamin Groovies up 'til "Teenage Head" in 1971 and
left when they went for a more slick Mersey beat sound. Roy
was always into the more raw primal twangy rootsy stuff, and
played in combos like The Phantom Movers and The Northwester
Movers. The Longshots which include members of Young Fresh
Fellows and REM (!) were formed 10 years ago, and "Drunkard
In The Think Tank" is a sublime example of Loney's love
of classic American rock'n'roll. Songs like "Steam",
"House Of Games", "Let Me Go" and "Hang
Wih Me" are vintage Groovies rock'n'roll, and the rootspunkers
like "One Track Mind", "She's The One"
and "Doggone Fine" really tear up the speakers.
The slow twisted bluesrocker, "Such A Nice Boy",
tells a spooky tale of a godfearing friend who had a sexchange!
Loney also pays tribute to his heroes in the John Fogerty
cover "You Don't Owe Me", and "He Talks to
Himself" is a friendly nod to Ray Davies. If you dig
unfiltered trend-free classic rock'n'roll, then do yourself
a favor and pick up "Drunkard In The Think Tank"
since I rarely heard it done better than this. By far the
best album I've heard this issue! http://www.careerrecords.com
Jens
Mannhai - The Exploder CD (Ranch)
Well, Mannhai certainly are not as heavy as they used to be
and show way more variety on this CD. It appears based on
the reviews of the new CD on the web page that the band has
made a classic rock record but still on the heavier side.
It is for you to decide. Here are my thoughts! The CD opens
with the heavy classic 80's metal approach on Mr. Out of Sight.
While Rock to the Top is a pretty lame commercial rock song,
the band really demonstrates some cool riffs and ideas with
the use of keyboards on Broken Chains. TNT Mountains starts
with a slow slide guitar foot stomping riff and is a pretty
strange tune with heavy riffs, piano that reminds me of Spiritual
Beggars (a tiny bit). Cool song to break up the CD. Two Roads
begins with the classic stoner rock riff and groove and some
strange synth noises add to a slightly psychedelic vibe on
this number. Behind the Trees starts as a standard stoner
rock riff but really becomes a powerful ballad with cool effected
vocals and wah-phaze guitars and a piano line as well. Error
67' has this great vocal trading with a great female vocalist
and has a hard hitting blues rock riff. A killer number! Head
against the Stones is more like the older style Mannhai material
and a straightforward rocker. Black Water Swan is the bands
doom anthem and closes the CD. In the end, I am quite impressed
with the new Mannhai CD. A lot of variety and quite an excellent
sound and a step in the psychedelic rock direction, which
I always think is great! www.mannhai.com
Scott
The Marvins - Come On!!! CDS
This 3 track single is a prime example of 'How-To-Do-It-Yourself'
for any new r'n'r combo. You get a producer who knows what
he's doin', you put a lotta effort into the layout of your
self-financed single, include it with a neat press release
with some cool photos and combine it with a smooth good looking
website. Okay? "Pink Cadillac" and "Get In
The Year" reminded me a bit of the glorious LA punk'n'rollers
The Humpers (RIP) while "Ken's Song" is somewhat
too novelty-sounding for my taste with it's party trombone
antics. All in all, a damn fine and solid debut release from
these Copenhagen youngsters, just remember to keep it raw,
and I'll be as happy as a pig in a shitpile. See interview
elsewhere. http://www.themarvins.dk
Jens
Magyar Posse - Kings of Time (Verdu)
The band comes from the fertile musical grounds of Pori, Finland.
This is the bands 2nd CD release. The band plays a mellow,
floating music most of the time but always creating special
moods. This is music made to be heard with films. This CD
contains 7 tracks with a lot of varied instrumentation and
moods expressed. The tracks seem to blend and melt together.
While the opening track is purely a floating spaced out number,
the 2nd number, has drums, violin and voices and reminds me
a bit of the operatic feel of Magma but in a very different
way. The 3rd track is an 11 minute song and starts very mellow
but then builds up on a piano line. Again a violin, saxophone
and voices take the song to a higher level. A very dramatic
number. The 4th track, is a slow moving piece with piano and
waves of sound moving over the for and background. Track 5
has some dark and beautiful acoustic guitar that just floats
and glides as the band build upon this. This track has a very
interesting use of the voice on this track. The CD closes
with a song that is the heaviest number of the CD and one
of the few based on a strong guitar riff. Cool spacey sounds
are mixed in as well as strange voices in the background.
You really feel like you are in some kind of David Lynch film
or something. Interesting and very original material. www.verdurarecords.com
Scott
The Monsters - Youth Against Nature CD (Voodoo Rhythm)
(reissue)
The Monsters of Switzerland play fucked-up trash rock: Primitive
songs, ugly-sounding fuzz guitar, an ugly, maniac-sounding
voice and some really grim guitar solos with loads of fuzz
are the main ingredients of this record reissue of The Monsters'
1997 album, which originally only came out on vinyl. Everything
on this record sounds fucked, and records like this really
require listeners with an acquired taste. But the more I listen
to it, it tends to grow on me. The sort of horror-movie universe
of the record, the sick blues-based songs and titles like
"Take a Trip to my Grave" and "I'm a Record
Junkie" alongside with the aforementioned fucked-up sound
should give you the idea of what these guys are up to. They've
got their own style, and it's actually pretty cool in my narrow
little world. I was wondering if I should rate this record
four razor blades, but since I've heard other Monsters albums
which I liked even more, I tend to rate it only three given
these circumstances.
http://www.themonsters.ch
http://www.voodoorhythm.com
Screamin' Eric
Muletrain - Demolition Preaching CD (Beat Generation)
Spanish punk-rockers Aerobitch called it quits, and three
band members went in search for a new drummer to form this
really hard-hitting four-piece combo called Muletrain. Muletrain's
debut album "Demolition Preaching" is one hell of
a hardcore-punk soundtrack for the apocalypse. Maybe Spanish
movie director Alex de la Iglesia could use this album as
an alternative soundtrack for his 1985 satanic comedy "The
Day of the Beast" (a.k.a. "El Día de la Bestia").
At least a couple of songs with titles like "Black Zodiac"
and "She's In Love With Black Metal" have that particular
potential. Muletrain plays fast, energetic, noisy - and to
some extent old-school - hardcore punk, which I like, and
they've got themselves one hard-hitting drummer, which I also
like. My problem though is the sporadic use of heavy-metal
guitar themes, the "cheap" distortion on the vocals
and the unwillingly funny Spanish-influenced pronunciation
of the odd English lyrics. Personally I would have preferred
the guys to sing in Spanish, which certainly would have added
more personality to the project. Besides this, the songs sound
much like each other on this album, but what the fuck do you
expect from a genre like this?
Screamin' Eric
The Nerds - A Black Star Burning Trails To Nowhere CD (Scary
Records)
This album is less punk and more hardrock-ish sounding than
some of their earlier singles, which works rather neatly since
"A Black Star..." is the best I've heard yet from
these Italian Destructo Rockers. It's Confederacy Of Scum-approved
by Jeff Clayton of AntiSeen so you might not wanna fuck with'em,
haha. Some of the 10 tracks ("The Traitor" and "Cry
Havoc") reminded me of early (pre-Hank) Turbonegro like
"Hot Cars..." while tunes like "Eye For An
Eye" and "The Black Sheep" are more Motörhead-ish
hardcorepunk like The Dead Heroes. Pretty good roughneck anti-social
stuff.
http://www.thenerdsrockinferno.com
Jens
The New Wave Hookers - Ass & Frederic CD (Wanker Records)
I'm huge fan of "New Wave Hookers", the classic
mid 80s sci-fi/new wave porn flick featuring Amber Lynn and
an underaged Traci Lords, but these guys don't make me quite
as horny, haha. This German smut combo has been releasing
poppunk records for many years, and their style is not unlike
The Parasites (NWH cover "Fool For You"), but this
album didn't win me over. I like some poppunk but this band
left me kinda cold mainly because their tunes are rather boring.
Sorry, no erection. http://www.thenewwavehookers.com
Jens
The New York Vaults - 2 song single + 4 track CDS's
Catchy punk/rock'n'roll with a powerpop feel not unlike The
Real Kids, Tuff Darts or The Dils. The 2002 single includes
"Dominatrix" (cool sax by The New Orleans King BM)
and "Party Boy" which has a mighty tasty organ.
The 4 tracker of 2003 is more of the same vintage sounding
late 70s American r'n'r, the missing link between Cheap Trick,
Ramones and Flamin Groovies? Tunes like "Roar" and
"Rock Star" really stand out with some killer hooks
and melodies. So I'm more than ready for a full length album
after these 2 teasers from this highly talented NYC combo.
http://www.thenyvaults.com
Jens
No Life Orchestra - No Life Orchestra (Luftwaffel Records)
No Life Orchestra is a new band from Trondheim, Norway. This
is a 5 song CD-Ep with some crazy music that mixes elements
of ska, hardcore and psychedelia or some of the weirdness
of Primus! The members play really excellently together and
have quite progressive song arrangements. Prescrewed opens
the CD and is a great song featuring most of the elements
described above. Opposite Lane is a hard driving song with
really strange sections when the vocals are sung. Planet Drunk
is a short 2 minutes hardcore song. It really comes out and
kicks you in the face with its aggressive vocals. Kneipscape
starts with a dark slow mysterious groove but strange things
are slowly mixed into the song before speeding up to hyperspeed.
Cockshaped Objects is a very strange song including vocals
from a schizophrenic madman. That is the end, man it goes
by fast… The band has a bright future as this is very
unique material and played with real dedication and power.
I wish there was more than the 16 minutes of music presented
here. www.luftwaffel.com
Scott
Rodriguez - s/t CD (Swindlebra)
Holy fucking shit! These guys from Austria really took me
by surprise….maaan, they puke all over what is currently
going on on Rip Off or all those other American punk rock
labels. Rodriguez have pinned down a perfect lo-fi sound that
captures the best from garage rock and punk rock and have
better songs than most bands in this field. They are young,
snotty and ready to fuck you up. Sometimes a little like Zeke,
sometimes they sound like a garage rock version of The New
Bomb Turks. Everything is on maximum volume and it sounds
the speakers are about to explode. Could someone please pass
a copy on to Tim Warren, this has Crypt Records quality. Best
punk rock record since The Little Killers! Woah! http://www.rodriguez.at
http://www.swindlebra.de
Don K
The Shitheadz - Dirty Pounding Gasoline CD (Locomotive)
'Heavy Rock Mönchengladbach' on the backcover sez it
all. These Germans have been around since 1992 and play competent
mid 90s style metal, Alice In Chains meets Pantera? If that's
your kinda r'n'r then go for it while I take a nap. Zzzzzz.
http://www.shitheadz.de
Jens
The Slideshakers - No Time to Lose 7" (Werra Records)
Finnish band, The Slideshakers, have released a new three
track 7" called
"No Time to Lose", proclaiming it to be energetic,
rootsy and raw. The title
track - "No Time to Loose" is a straight forward
rock and roll tune with a
Bo Diddley rhythm you just can't miss. If you can't stomp
your feet in
rhythm to this catchy track, you should have your ears checked.
The second
track - "Son of a Rich Man" has a Bo Diddley groove
disturbingly similar to
the first track, only at twice the speed, and with double
the fuzz. There
isn't a lot of singing on this one, and most of what is sung
is done so in
an in-your-face punkish manner, which only adds to the feel
of this song
being the bad-ass-rock-n-roll tune of the record. On the flipside
we have a
real treat for all of us, who love organs - The Slideshakers
have gone
country on us, with organ and slide guitar intro! The flipside
track -
"Texas Calling" is probably the biggest and best
surprise on the record, and
undoubtedly the sole reason why Slideshakers can claim this
record to be
"rootsy". The track is more Soledad Brothers than
country, with an edgy
blues guitar and organ breaks; this is by far the strongest
track on the
record. But even on a track like "Texas Calling"
the John Spencer Blues
Explosion inspiration is not far away, and especially on the
first two
tracks, it's impossible to miss. It seems inevitable for a
modern blues rock
band, not to be inspired by JSPX. Even though the first two
tracks sound a
little too similar, the flipside proves that there is great
potential in The
Slideshakers, and if for nothing else - their live performances
are bound to
be spectacular: because if there is one thing this record
has plenty of -
its energy. http://www.slideshaker.com
Kristian
The Sonic Barrels - The Good, The Bad & The Sonic
Barrels MCD (The Sonic Barrels)
I'm glad I'm too young to have ever been into Kiss, at least
their music, and my older brother was cool enough to spare
me most of this kind of big-chorussed crap. These Swedes,
however, sound like they spent a little too long time tuning
their mopeds and ripping up their jeans instead of getting
a decent record collection. Very provincial, very loud, and
quite dumb. At times, I find myself really hating melodies,
especially when they're in major.
http://www.thesonicbarrels.com
Jon A
Deniz Tek and Scott Morgan - Three Assassins CD (Career
Records)
"Three Assassins" is recorded live in in the summer
of 2001 in Niort (France) and Marzi (Italy) and plays like
a Detroit rock'n'roll jukebox with Scott Morgan of Sonic's
Rendezvous Band, The Rationals, The Hydromatics etc. doin'
"Future Now", "I Got A Right", "Asteroid
B-612", "City Slang", and "TV Eye".
Friend and partner in crime, Deniz Tez (Radio Birdman, Dodge
Main etc.), has played with Scott in several combos and they
are backed by Italy's fuzzrockers The Sonic Assassin, I gave
their debut album a favorable review some time ago. So as
you probably guessed this ain't no innovating experimental
album, haha, just a recording of a fuckin' awesome hardrockin',
soulful and energetic live performance. Which is good enough
for me, hell yes! The sound quality is above average, so you
have no excuse for not investing in this 'greatest hits collection'
of motor city nuggets. http://www.careerrecords
Jens
20 Minuters - Ding Dong Daddy & Ping Pong Mama 7"
(Trashcan Records)
Finnish psychobilly- 20 Minuters, bring in the heavy artillery,
saxophone
and all, on their new four track vinyl, and lets get one thing
straight from
the beginning, this is some weird stuff, but it works - it
really does!
First track "Bouncers" is a swinging track, with
a deep fuzzy sax backing,
and a guitar boogie that'll make you want to jump in your
boots and dance
all night. The second track however, "Open Wide"
makes you wonder what else these guys have to offer. The track
has the same psychobilly feel to it, which is great, but it's
difficult to distinguish the two tracks from each other at
first glance. The first track on the flipside, "Under
the influence of heavy
medication" is very much the same deal, you have a solid
driven rhythm, and
a swinging beat - but this time, the guitar player gets his
way a little
more than on the first two tracks, and the fact that he gets
a few seconds
alone from the sax, prevents this track from being an extension
of the first
two. Fourth track "Suitcases & hostages" - same
rhythm and drive, but this
time, both sax and guitar do a good job at maintaining a cool
background
melody, even if it's hard to hear over the rhythm guitar.
At first glance,
this record just sounds like a punk singer, with a sax and
a driven drummer
- but there are melodies in there, though sometimes well hidden,
and once
you find them, you'll be humming them over and over again,
even if the one
melody fits all four tracks. It's also well cool to hear such
good use of a
saxophone, and the authentic sounding guitar adds to the 50s
feel of this
7". But even if all of these things are in order, and
the drive of the
tracks are fantastic, I can't help but feel like the entire
record is just
one long track that you flip over after 5 minutes to hear
the ending of.
http://www.sunpoint.net/~twentyminuters
Kristian
United Enemies - CDS (Power Music)
This Swedish combo consists of ex-69 Hard members Mats Jeppsson
(guitar) and Christian Fridlund (bass) but United Enemies
are pretty far removed from that classic punkabilly group.
Basically the 4 tracks kinda sound like if The Backyard Babies
were any good at playing sleazy 70s glam punk/rock'n'roll,
y'know, getting that Stooges/Dead Boys/Dolls feel right. This
is good stuff, but unfortunately millions of bands around
the world dish out this kinda glamrock each month, so if United
Enemies put a little more rawness and originality in their
next release they'll go far because they really got a knack
for writing hard rock songs. http://www.unitedenemies.com
Jens
Unsane - Occupational Hazard CD (Relapse Records)
Wow…… what a full frontal assault. I have never
heard this band before and man is they angry and noisy. This
is the bands 4th CD since hitting the scene back in 1991.
The production is very raw with screaming hostile distorted
vocals (luckily you get the lyrics with the CD if you want
to know what he is screaming!). The band certainly succeeds
in creating some incredibly heavy stuff. The bass sound is
pretty amazing on some of the tracks and the guitars have
just a nasty growl. While I don't normally hear music like
this it sure does grab your attention. While the band has
toured with Slayer and Entombed, etc.. they are not that fast
in general. If you took all the distortion away you could
compare them to High on Fire at times. This is not easy listening
but good if you need to get some aggression out! www.relapse.com
Scott
Vibravoid - Doris Delay 7" (Nasoni)
This is the 2nd 7" release by Vibravoid and their 6th
release in total since 2001. The play a very cool mix of Pink
Floyd inspired psychedelia-pop-freakout rock! Doris Delay
is a great song with phased out wah guitar and a very Syd
Barrett inspired chorus. The B-side is two electronic pieces.
Late as a Morning is a slow building soundscape with a buzzy
synth that pans back and forth. Audio Revolution (Volume 2)
is based on a repetitive piano like synth line. These tracks
are only mildly interesting compared to the excellent title
track. The 7" is released on black and a whitish-beige
vinyl.
www.nasoni-records.com
www.vibravoid.de
Scott
Viva vertigo - Viva Viva CD/LP (Bad Afro records)
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the absolute best albums I've heard in 2004.
I put it in my CD player and heard it around 4 times in a
row. I'm extatic! I'm thrilled! I'm grateful! Thank you VV
for making a record with so much impact that it nearly makes
me cry. Okay okay, it sounds like I'm licking ass here, I
know. But believe me: If you like cool dreamy, floating pop-rock-noise-indie-americana-crooner
music in the veins of Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Weeping
Willows, Nick Cave, Lou Reed The Walkabouts, Eric's Trip,
Leonard Cohen, Lee Hazlewood - hell, even Chris Isaac!...
(damn! Too many too mention!) you will never be the same again
after listening to this album. This is for us true romantics!
All the 13 songs are just plain classics. Even the slower
ballads are so good and "creamy" to listen to that
it's nearly a crime. "Viva Viva" goes straight for
the heart! It's spring time! It's falling in love! It's the
feeling of being melancholic and happy at the same time!
The dude behind this masterwork is a Danish guy called Simon
Beck. He wrote all the songs with some help from different
friends in the music buisness. Amongst them Sune Wagner who's
also rocking out in The Raveonettes. And of course, I almost
said, you can here some of the same sound in this production
(and even some of the good old Psyched Up Janis-sound!) BUT
in a way this is even more catchy and cool. And you can clearly
tell that Simon Beck is an "artiste".
I've seen Viva Vertigo once live at Rust and it was very ok,
but now I 'm really, really looking forward to their next
gig.
I can't really pin out specific tracks 'cause their all fantastic,
but "Waltzing With Sin", "Sugar Cane",
"Satellite Song", "Songs on The Radio"
are killers. Or "Jaguar Tornado", "Los Angeles"
and of course the titel track "Viva Viva (Edie Sedgwick)"
are songs that just gets glued to your brain... Great pop
songs are like something you've heard before but can't really
tell from where-this is 13 of those kind of songs. Go buy
it NOW!
Oh shit, I get all emotionel now...
http://www.vivavertigo.com
JT
Zeke - 'Til The Living End CD (Relapse Records)
BY THE FLYING BALLS OF RODAN! Awright! The speedcrazed psycho-locomotive
is back from hell to annihilate anything in it's path, so
hang on or perish! Cut down to a 3-piece as they were on their
debut, Zeke hasn't lost any of their sonic aural dismemberment,
tightness or fuck-you attiude on "'Til The Living End".
About half of the 15 tracks are soaked in full frontal amphetamine
faster-than-fuck punk aggression like "Long Train Runnin'",
"All Night Long", "Little Queen", "Never
Goin' Home", "Roller" etc. There are more,
too many I think, midtempo heavy-laden tracks on this album
than the previous ones, and the Jack Endino production gives
tunes like "Dolphin Wolf" and "Ride To Live"
a Sabbath/Stoner-ish feel. Jeff Matz and Donny Paycheck also
play in Stoner outfit Camarosmith, but don't worry, Blind
Marky Felchtone keeps his troops lean mean and ready to maim.
I hope Zeke's new label will be a benefit for'em since their
recipe of rock'n'roll mayhem is strongly needed nowadays.
http://www.zekeyou.com
http://www.relapse.com
Jens
V/A - Spacelines - Sonic Sounds For Subteraneans CD (Munster)
Ever wanted to know what inspired Spacemen 3 and Sonic Boom?
Well, look no further than this release which features a whole
bunch of varied stuff that formed the sound of Spacemen 3.
This really is a mixed bag of music and although it includes
everything from Sun Ra and Rolf Harris to MC5, The Rays, Bo
Diddley, The Wailers and The Zodiacs it functions as a fine
selection of interesting music and certainly offer the listener
some weird stuff worth checking out. http://www.munster-records.com
Don K
V/A - Truckin in the Free World (Ranch)
This is a fifteen song compilation CD by the Finnish label
Spinefarm. It features the bands The Flaming Sideburns, Mannhai,
Thee Ultra Bimbos, Heaven N' Hell, The Mutants, The Black
League, and Lemonator. It is mostly tracks from the bands
regular records but a few rare b-side tracks or remixes appear
for some bands. The Flaming Sideburns start the CD off with
two tracks from their Sky Pilots release. Straight up rock
and roll! Mannhai are next with Mr. Out of Sight from the
Exploder CD and the fast raw Spiritraiser from Evil under
the Sun. Thee Ultra Bimboos, a really cool all female quartet,
give us the cool 60's inspired Mars is Rising from the Bimboo
Wizard CD. We're not Gonna Take it a funny cover of the Twisted
Sister song (the b-side of the Sleeping Dogs 7"). The
80' style melodic metal band, Heaven 'N'Hell gives up two
tracks from their Sleeping with Angels CD. The Mutants get
3 tracks, two from the Voodoo Blues CD and a remix from the
Caligula CD single. This is really cool groovy blues rock
stuff. The Black League is featured with two tracks from the
Man's Ruin Revisited CD. Nasty, growling rock and roll with
cool grooves! Lemonator gives up Killer from the Grandpop
CD and a remixed version of California. If you want a taste
of some cool Finnish rock bands, this is a great compilation
at a cheap price!
Scott
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